Paeonia hybrida Pall. as a Rare and Endangered Species of Steppe Communities in Kulunda: Biology, Ecology, Cenotic Characteristics

Paeonia hybrida Pall. is a highly localized species, spread on the Priobskoye plateau, foothills and low-mountains of Altai, in the northeastern and eastern parts of Kazakhstan. The aim of the study was to study cenopopulations and features of phytocenoses with the participation of P. hybrida in Kulunda and on the Priobskoye plateau. The characterization of the communities is based on 13 complete geobotanical descriptions carried out on 100 m2 test plots in Volchikhinsky, Mikhailovsky and Topchikhinsky districts. When identifying vegetation syntaxa, we used the interpretation of E.M. Lavrenko. Taxonomic, ecological, chorological and analysis of life forms was performed according to I.G. Serebryakov and K. Raunkier. The ontogenetic periods of P. hybrida were studied by the method of T.A. Rabotnov taking into account the indices of age states by A.A. Uranova. In the period of 2013 – 2020 the authors identified 13 P. hybrida cenopopulations in two classes of formations – meadow and true steppes. The share of P. hybrida in the herbage was 5 – 15%. More often the species is found in shrub communities of meadow and true steppes. In the dry-steppe zone of Kulunda, P. hybrida has preserved in the flat areas between dividing ridges, on gentle ridges, slopes of gullies, coarse slopes and along the deltas of ancient runoff hollows. The characteristic features of the habitats make it possible to classify the steppe peony as a mesoxerophyte. The ontogenesis of P. hybrida is characterized by latent, virginile, and generative periods.